pammie Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Started Iressa in January of 2005. the tumor markers in the blood tests continue to get better and better. Question: Have any of you had good tumor marker tests but the cancer was spreading or getting worse? The doc told us that sometimes the tumor markers are not a good indicator of the progression of the disease. Perhaps he said that to make sure we stayed in touch with reality. Just wondering what the experiences of others were. Thanks for the info. pammie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadstimeon Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Hi Pammie, My doctor told me the same thing, the tumor markers looked/look good regardless of what the cancer was/is doing, so she cannot tell by that. Hopes this helps. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAnn Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Pammie, My dr. said the same thing. They don't even look at tumor markers for lung cancer at MD Anderson, where I am being treated. They are not a reliable source for what the cancer is doing. TAnn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurielK Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Two weeks before I had the CT scan and PET scan that showed a tumor in my left lung (the 2nd tumor), my CEA reading was <.5. It had been that low for several tests. Yet the cancer was there and growing larger. Muriel K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieLR Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Dear Pammie, My tumor markers are & always have been almost nonexistant. The Doctors can't use those numbers at all for me. I guess that would help to explain why it was never found till I was already in stage IV. Heaven only knows why these numbers are so effective for some & not for others. God knows the Doctors can't tell me. Oh well. Hugs & prayers, Melanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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